Two USA Swimming distance specialists have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, according to an online report.
SwimSwam.com The report says long distance specialists David Johnston and Luke Whitlock have tested positive. Johnston still has time to recover before Saturday’s men’s 1500m freestyle. Johnston has already competed and finished 15th in the 800m freestyle.
The positive results for Johnston and Whitlock come after British swimmer Adam Peaty tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, hours after tying for second in the men’s 100m breaststroke final.
USA Swimming spokespeople declined to confirm the report to DailyMail.com, saying the organization “does not publish athlete health data.”
USA Swimming officials told DailyMail.com that Johnston has not yet been ruled out of his upcoming event on Saturday.
David Johnston and Luke Whitlock hug after the men’s 1500m freestyle in Indianapolis
COVID-19 has increasingly become an issue at the ongoing Paris Games.
Three years after the Tokyo Olympics were held amid strict precautions and without fans due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the virus has forced athletes to withdraw from events and others to return to wearing masks.
Several athletes tested positive, including Australian swimmer Lani Pallister, who had hopes of winning a medal in the women’s 1,500-meter freestyle but had to withdraw from the event. Pallister was told to isolate herself in her room.
Peaty tested positive a day after narrowly missing out on gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, sharing silver with American Nic Fink. Peaty, who said he woke up feeling unwell the morning of Sunday’s race, hopes to compete in relays later this week.
“The team spirit is very high,” said Peaty’s British teammate Matt Richards after his 100m freestyle heat on Tuesday morning. “I think we’ve done a good job of trying to make sure we take every precaution possible.”
“Adam is fine, he’s not dying. He’s fine, he just has a little bit of a cold. We’ll keep it off as best we can. We’re here to compete. If we get a little bit sick while we’re competing, we’ll keep competing. That’s how we do it.”
Several Australian women’s water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 in the days leading up to the opening ceremony, forcing them to isolate themselves from other team members.
The Tokyo Olympics were delayed by a year due to COVID-19, while the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics were held under strict precautions, making Paris the first post-pandemic Olympics. There are no strict protocols or restrictions around COVID-19 in Paris.
“We have a protocol in place that any athlete who tests positive must wear a mask and we remind everyone to follow best practices, but in terms of COVID tracking, cases are quite low in France,” said Anne Descamps, Paris 2024’s communications director.
British swimmer Jacob Whittle said his team was being more strict with precautions.
“We sanitize our hands and wear masks everywhere we can,” Whittle said. “When we’re swimming and doing things like this (talking to reporters) are the only times we’re not wearing masks.”
“It’s about being very careful when eating, when travelling on the bus or in public spaces, being very careful not to get infected and, if you do, not infecting anyone. You have to be very careful.”